Citizens concerned by the proposal are at a local scale, a communal scale and a regional scale. And adding tourism, the national and international scales will be concerned also to some extend.

COPENHAGEN'S MOVING WATERS

by Christina Rasmussen

CITY? Copenhagen - Denmark

A high percentage of impermeable surfaces, rise of sea level, heavier weather conditions, these are some of the increasing environmental stresses cities have to deal with. Water cities and settlements on coasts are highly exposed!

As Fransje Hooimeijer expresses in her publications, four phases revealing different attitudes toward water are visible through history: from passive and accepting, to defensive, offensive and manipulative. The last one stands for the last years engineer work done to canalize and control water in the city. The systems are too rigid and risks for collapsing is increasing with the environmental stresses.

The moto could then be: to answer climate problems and play with environment within its own rules. This would mean to aknowledge the happening of environmental changes and to integrate it in the urban development and design. This means a wadi-designed square and a new mobility alternative/plan, all connected to the city's most important element: water.

Here is my proposal for a more adaptive management of water, integrated in a plan for mobility and shaping resilient urban spaces into the city of Copenhagen.

PRINCIPLES AND ASPECTS?

In terms of resilience principles, stress will be put on carbon dependency reduction, systems diversity, infrastructure durability and design responsive to nature systems.

Ideas will be oriented towards light mobility (pedestrian and bikers), transit supportive planning and place-making, thereby supporting density, diversity & mixity, local sources and complete communities. Those are the considered urban design principles.